AN: I know it's hard to tell how much time has passed in this stories, but it's not very important beyond the fact that time is passing. All I can say is that they run linearly (and any that don't will have advance warning, but this shouldn't happen).

Disclaimer: Kikyo and Kagome are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi.

Differing Views

"Kill it."

Kagome stared at the injured animal. Kill it? Killing innocent things was wrong.

"Kill it, copy. It's going to die whether you kill it or it bleeds to death."

Bleeding to death was painful. Kagome had done lots of bleeding, so she knew this. But she couldn't just kill an innocent animal. It had done nothing wrong.

It growled up at the two of them, wanting them to step further back from it.

It didn't want to die anymore than Kagome wanted to kill it.

"A miko's duty is to have compassion for others. Realize it is in pain, copy, and put it out of its misery."

It was a fox. It reminded her of Shippo. Sweet, mischievous, chocolate-loving Shippo, who called her kaasan when no one else was listening. The jewel she had broken had led the boy to her when he found a shard and his father was killed for it.

Yet another innocent's life she had ruined.

She refused to kill the fox in front of her. Let it bleed to death, but it would not be dead by her hands.

"Sometimes, copy, death is the only thing you can give someone."

She wished Kikyo would shut up. Didn't Kikyo understand that killing outside of self-defense was wrong?

Kagome sat down beside the wounded creature and hesitantly reached a hand out to it. It was too weak to do anything but growl at her. She scratched one of its ears affectionately, recalling Shippo's purrs when she played with his tail.

"What does that do, copy?"

"It soothes it," she replied softly. "I will not kill him. No more lives will be lost on my account."

"You are a fool. You will cause death whether you like it or not."

Kagome made no reply. Yes, she was the reason behind many of the strange deaths these past three years in Sengoku Jidai, but she was watching out for it now.

The fox whimpered in pain, and Kagome took her hand away. Kikyo was right about one thing, it was dying. Its red fur was brown with all the dried blood clinging to it, and its yellow-green eyes were glazed over with pain.

"Put it out of its misery, copy."

Death would end the pain.

How long ago had she thought that upon her agreement to Kikyo's bargain? Five months? Six? Did it still hold true?

Did even death end pain? She hurt beyond anything words could explain because of the deaths of others. Wouldn't her death just being pain upon someone else?

But was there anyone left who would care?

She untucked her gi, wet part of it with her tongue, and began washing the fox off. At least it could die with some dignity.

But was dying of wounds received from falling down a cliff really all that dignified? There was no dignity in death, she realized. Death didn't care. It took everything you had.

"That's useless, copy."

Kagome couldn't understand how Kikyo could just stand there and watch the poor thing die. Had she no pity? Compassion? Sympathy?

Kikyo was undead. She couldn't feel anything. That just meant Kagome had to do it for her.

One blunt end of Kikyo's staff came down hard upon the small creature's head, crushing it.

Kagome looked up, eyes watering. "What did you do that for?" she yelled.

"It was suffering, copy. Now it suffers no more. Stop sniveling and get up."

"You killed it!"

"It was already dead, its heart just hadn't stopped beating yet."

"It was still alive! It could have gotten better!"

"Take a good look at it, copy. There was no way that thing would have survived, even if it did heal enough to move around. The other predators of this forest would have eaten it."

"But it was still alive!"

"Yes, and now it is dead. Get up."

Kagome looked ready to argue, but all the fire that had appeared with the death of the tiny fox disappeared as quickly as it arrived. She sniffled and stood to her feet.

"Life causes death, death causes life. When it was alive, it killed others so that it could live. Now that it is dead, it will help feed others."

Kagome said nothing, thinking on the tiny red body that so reminded her of another small body.

Shippo.

How similar the two's deaths. The tiny fox, killed under Kikyo's staff as it slowly bled to death. Young Shippo, rescued from the jaws of the dragon youkai to be curled protectively to Kagome's chest as he, too, bled to death. And then the dragon's great wing knocking Kagome over the cliff. She had woken from the hard impact to discover she had landed on the child and broken his neck. Combined with the already fatal wounds he had, the kitsune had died before she had woken.

She broke down crying as they continued walking down the path. "You didn't have to kill it that way!"

Kikyo almost looked annoyed at her outburst. Almost.

"If you wanted it dead some other way, copy, you should have killed it."

"If you're this wise and all-powerful miko, you should have been able to heal it!"

Kikyo briefly considered pointing out that she was not a miracle worker, and even if she had healed some of its wounds, the smell of the injured fox's blood would have drawn others to come and kill it. It would have been a waste of energy. Instead,

"Why did you not do it yourself, copy?"

Kagome froze. She hadn't thought about her ability to heal. Kikyo had taught her how to call upon it. But she had concentrated fully upon Kikyo's words of death, instead of thinking about how she could possibly save it.

"Why didn't you tell me to heal it instead of kill it?"

Kikyo ignored the question.

Kagome got a little annoyed. "Please answer the question, Kikyo-sensei."

Kikyo was still silent.

Was Kikyo purposefully trying to piss her off? "Answer me!"

Kikyo turned cold eyes upon her. Kagome flinched back.

"Healing it would only have delayed the inevitable, continued its suffering. You do not waste your energy upon things you cannot fix. Remember that, copy."

And Kikyo continued to walk away from the still girl from the future.